September 28, 2013

Machete Kills, Theatrical releases for Mandy Lane and Cassadaga, Carrie, Hellbenders, and a 35th Anniversary release of the original Halloween (plus parts 4&5)... October is shaping up to be a good month at the Theater for Horror fans!

We actually find it kinda nice to not see a new Paranormal Activity movie coming out this month for a change, because it's time to give that series a rest for a while.

Once Halloween is over and done with, the Theatrical offerings dry up a bit as far as Horror flicks go, so we've included more non-genre movies than we normally would.

So click the banner above or visit our Release Date List in our Nav-Bar up top so that you can plan your trips to the Theater accordingly.

*Keep in mind that Theatrical Release Dates tend to shift alot, so don't be surprised to see movies added, moved, or subtracted at a moments notice... Hollywood is so indecisive.

Of all of John Carpenter's films, Prince of Darkness is my sentimental favorite. Maybe it's because it was released right in the middle of my formative years, when I was at "that stage" of my life where everything made such a huge impact on me, blah, blah blah...

...or maybe it's because it's an awesome movie about Quantum Physics and Satan?

I still remember the first time I saw the swirling mass of green liquid in that huge cylinder and was like "That's Satan!" I still remember hearing "I've got a message for you, and you're not going to like it" in the Trailer, and getting chills. I remember watching Victor Wong and Donald Pleasance in the prime of their careers, and realizing how great they were. I remember seeing Alice Cooper in a movie for the first time and thinking how awesome that was, becaue he rocked so much. I remember Jamison Parker's moustache making him look like a Gay Pornstar. I remember the spraying liquid, the axe, the mirror, the Devil's Daughter, Amazing Grace, the hot chicks...

And it's all still just as great today as it was back then.

I'll admit it. She gave me nightmares.

It's sharp, it's grainy, the colors look fantastic and aside from a few issues in some of the darker scenes, Prince of Darkness looks fantastic on this Blu-ray disc. I've owned this movie on both VHS and DVD, and it always looked drab and "old" whenever I would watch it. This this new HD transfer, however, makes it looks just about as new and crisp as any lower budget movie from this decade does.The PQ should impress just about anyone who watches this disc.

Was he ever not great in anything he did?

We're not usually ones to get excited about the sound mix on our Blu-rays, but this one is especially pleasing to us because of John Carpenter's score; it truly thumps and sounds ominous here in DTS. Seeing as how his scores were such an important part of his movies in the 70's/80's, it's nice to see this one sound so great on this new transfer.

This guy sounds even creepier now.

This disc isn't really packed with a comprehensive array of special features, which is fine by us, because the movie finally being on Blu-ray was all we really wanted.

The special features that we do get are pretty good though: I really liked the Interview with Carpenter, and "The Messenger" with Robert Grasmere was a fun watch. The alternate TV version opening was interesting too.

Audio Commentary with John Carpenter

Sympathy For The Devil – An all-new Interview with Writer/Director John Carpenter

Hell On Earth – A look at the film's score with Co-Composer Alan Howarth

Horror's Hallowed Grounds with host Sean Clark

Alternate Opening from TV Version

Original Theatrical Trailer

Stills Gallery

Who's your daddy?

As a film, Prince of Darkness is one of the most criminally underrated Horror films of all time, and was dismissed as a "John Carpenter misstep" by too many Critics when it was first released. Screw them though, because this movie is fantastic, and it's one of Carpenter's best.

As a Blu-ray disc, it's a beautiful little Collector's Edition which will please fans of the movie, and maybe even help to introduce the film to a whole new generation of fans.

This is about a much of a "Must Own" as a Horror flick can be on Blu-ray, and you're really missing out if you don't add this one to your collection.

So after watching this little gem of a Blu-ray, and doing my usual research on the cast, crew, etc... I find out that not only did Lisa Blount pass away in 2010, but that she was married to the equally talented Ray McKinnon (Sons of Anarchy, Deadwood, & tons of other stuff.) Not only do I feel double stupid for not knowing either of those pieces of info before now, but I feel a bit sad about the whole thing.

I hope the beautiful & multi-talented Lisa Blount is resting in peace, and I hope she knew just how much she entertained us all.

September 24, 2013

This is one of those weeks that I was talking about towards the end of Summer, do you remember? The kind that will serve to make our wallets cry?

Yeah, three Amazon orders in one week actually made my wallet run away. Seriously, it's gone... and I don't think it's coming back this time.

*Click the pics below to order from Amazon, or just to get some more info on these releases.

First and foremost, we have Prince of Darkness; it's one of my top 5 Horror faves of all-time, and it's being released on Blu-ray for the first time ever today! (Sorry, I'm excited.) If we could only buy one single Blu-ray for the rest of the year, it would be this largely overlooked John Carpenter classic. I can not wait to review this one tonight.

Next is another Carpenter classic that we can't wait to grab, but it's already on Blu-ray, so we're not quite as geeked about it... the 35th Anniversary Edition of Halloween hits shelves today promising us a stellar new transfer, along with some fun new supplemental goodies... We own the previous transfer, but are excited to see how much better (if at all) this new one ends up being.

Hannibal was a huge surprise for us. We never thought that a TV prequel story about Hannibal Lecter could ever be good, especially on a Network like NBC that never pushes the envelope on anything... and we were completely wrong. This show was fantastic, and we can't wait to re-watch all 13 episodes in their uncut, extended (4 episodes), and un-aired (1 episode) glory. $21.99 is a GREAT price for a release day TV Season on Blu-ray, so if you haven't seen it and are curious, take the blind buy leap and give it a go... you won't be sorry.

The Christopher NolanBatman Super Mega Crazy Gigantor Collector's Edition Box Set would be great... if we didn't already own all three films, and if this new set came with anything new and interesting, like deleted scenes or footage. Still, it's a buy-worthy set, just not for us.

Room 237 is one that will probably be better off as a rent for most people, but for suckers like us, it's an odd curiosity that we need to own. As Documentaries go, this twisted look at the inner workings of Kubrick'sThe Shining is a mesmerizing must have.

Finally we have the City of God/City of Men 2-pack. Neither film is Horror, but both films are brilliant, gritty looks inside of the crime-ridden streets of Rio de Janeiro.I can't recommend the flicks highly enough.

This week's rentals are a mixed bag for us.

We didn't like Iron Man 3 all that much, so unlike the 50 million other people in the world who will buy it on BD/DVD today, we're gonna take a pass.

Psycho 2 & 3 are tempting, but we're already buying too much this week, so they'll have to wait.

V/H/S/2 was solid, but not compelling enough for us to buy today.

The direct-to-video I Spit on Your Grave 2 will get a rent from us as well, as we're curious to see if it's as good as it's remake predecessor.

And as always, the rest are crap-shoots for us, so I guess just buy or rent according to taste?

I'm just going to come right out and say this... I've never been the biggest fan of the Hatchet movies.

I know, that opinion seems to put me in the vast minority of Horror Fandom, but the Hatchet movies have always just felt cheap and goofy to me; crazy bloody and crazy gory, but goofy.

Having watched Hatchet 3 though, I think I've finally been converted to the Victor Crowley faithful, because this little flick was fun as hell...

...for the record though, it was still really goofy.

After the events of Hatchet 2, I could have sworn that Victor Crowley was dead; I mean, Danielle Harris pretty much turned his head into a pile of bloody pudding/Jell-O with with his own hatchet and a shotgun. Then again, Jason Voorhees taught me long ago that nothing really kills guys like him and Victor, so I should have known better.

Anywho, immediately following the events of Hatchet 2, Danielle Harris gets herself arrested after having a stand-off with an entire police station, but she doesn't care, because she has just survived her 2nd encounter with Victor Crowley, and she really needs a rest anyways. We've got no problem with that, because she's really little, and VC is massive, and she's earned herself a good rest.

All those guns for that tiny little thing? lol

Little does she know though, that VC is still out there killing people and causing mayhem. When Stretch from TCM2 shows up, talking about a way to finally stop VC for good, the two chicks team up and head into the swamp, to fight the mongoloid monster with an old pewter urn.

Typical Hatchet-like hi-jinks ensue.

Alright, maybe the urn is ceramic or something. Either way, it's an urn!

Hatchet 3, like it's predecessors, is a bloody, gory, over-the-top movie that exists only to make Horror Fans squeal with delight at its visceral craziness (Though to be fair, not all Horror Fans squeal; some grunt or gruffly yell "Fuck yeah, man!") What I'm trying to say is that if you love movies that give you copious amounts of blood and gore, then the Hatchet flicks are probably amongst your faves. Part 3 is no exception to that rule.

Victor Crowley is an alright movie maniac, but the real draw here for us is Danielle Harris; this series is her vehicle for the most part, as she goes from terrified Final Girl in the 2nd movie, to an "I've had enough of this shit!" type of tough chick in this one. She is a tried and true Scream Queen, and it's always fun to see her do her thing.

Sid Haig was so great in this movie as "the racist redneck who ain't all there in his brain." His scene had me rolling. I honestly did a spit-take when he said "Who's the colored?" This movie is worth watching for his part alone. Honestly, I might have to buy the Blu-ray just so I can have his scene in my collection. The guy is just fantastic.

"Fuck yo' Momma!"

There's really not much of a solid plot to be found here, and at times it was hard to decide whether the acting or the dialog was worse. I know this is not a movie that you watch because you want to see a wonderful narrative unfold, but there were just some points during this one where I caught myself saying "wow, this is bad."

Hatchet 3 has far less Danielle Harris screen time than it should have.

Covered in blood, still cute.

This movie exists to give its audience an over-abundance of blood, gore, and kill scenes, and int hat respect, it does a top-notch job. The best part of the whole thing? Adam Green refuses to use CGI gore on his Hatchet movies, so every last red drop of FX that you see here is all practically applied.

Danielle Harris takes a hot and steamy shower, but we only get to see her naked side.

Anything that Sid Haig said, because he was funny as hell.

Victor Crowley looks like The Leprechaun. Also, sometimes dumb can be fun.

"Where's me pot 'o gold?"

If you're a fan of the series, then you know exactly what you're getting when you sit down to watch Hatchet 3. If you're not, then what you're getting is 90 minutes of crazy gore, peppered with a fairly bland story, and instances of Danielle Harris.You take the good with the bad with this flick.

Shut your brain off, sit back and just accept this movie for what it is, and you'll be happy.